Extinguishers for cigarettes and the like



Feb. 26, 1963- A. E. ARTHUR EXTINGUISHERS FOR CIGARETTES .AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 5, 1953 INVENTOR ALL/Ml E ART/7'01? ATTORNEY HIIIH: '1

United States Patent 3,078,854 EXTINGUISHERS FOR CIGARETTES AND THE LIKE Allan E. Arthur, 1001 E. Cherry St., Cushing, Okla. Filed Aug. 5, 1953, Ser. No. 372,451 2 Claims. (Cl. 131-256) The present invention relates to means for extinguishing cigars, cigarettes and the like and, more particularly, has reference to an extinguisher of the fluid type finding special application for use in motor vehicles.

I-Ieretofore, most fluid extinguishers have included a receptacle for the fluid and a sponge or wick or flat float has been disposed within the receptacle so that when the lighted end ofthe cigarette is pressed against the sponge or other body, the cigarette is extinguished. Thus, in these prior devices, the cigarette end must be urged into contact with the moistened body in the receptacle, and, in the case of the sponge and the wick, the cigarette has a tendency to stick thereby causing the head to pull off leaving ashes and tobacco on the sponge or wick. In connection with the flat float, the float must be pushed below the surface of the fluid which means that the smoker must watch the receptacle to make certain that the cigarette has been extinguished and that the cigarette has not been immersed too deeply in the fluid since this causes the cigarette to drip and often fall apart.

It can be seen that with these prior devices, it is necessary for the smoker to watch the extinguishing step and, if he is the drive of the vehicle, he must take his eyes from the road which is undesirable.

Accordingly, an important object of the present invention is to provide a fluid extinguisher of the type described which will overcome the above and other drawbacks now existing in the art.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fluid extinguisher wherein a float having a specially formed upper surface is lodged within the receptacle so that a body of fluid is located above the float adjacent the perimetric edge of the float with the depth of the fluid body being suflicient to extinguish the burning end of the cigarette yet not deep enough to wet the cigarette above such burning end to cause the cigarette to fall apart.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a fluid extinguisher for use in motor vehicles and the like wherein the proper depth of fluid above the perimetric edge of the float is always available.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a fluid extinguisher wherein a guard member is located in proximity to the open end of the receptacle to minimize the chances of fluid splashing out of the receptacle and return the fluid to the liquid body therein.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a fluid extinguisher wherein the cigarette can be dropped into the open end of the receptacle and by so doing the smoker is certain that the lighted end will be extinguished due to the configuration of the upper surface of the float and the pool of fluid above the float adjacent the perimetric edge of the float.

With the above and other advantageous objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction, and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this application, wherein like reference characters denote the same or similar parts in the several views, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectional view of a fluid extinguisher according to the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the extinguisher depicted in FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view, on an enlarged 3,078,854 Patented Feb. 26, 1963 scale of the upper end of the inner receptacle shown in FIG. 1.

As shown in FIGURE 1, the extinguisher comprises an outer receptacle 10, an inner receptacle 11 for the fluid and a float 13 within the receptacle 11.

The receptacles 10 and 11 may be made of any suitable material and it will be noted that the inner diameter of the outer receptacle is slightly greater than the outer diameter of the receptacle 11 to permit the receptacle 11 to be readily and easily inserted into and removed from the outer receptacle for cleaning and refilling purposes. The upper end of the receptacle 10 is formed with a horizontal flange 14 and functions as an anchoring medium for the receptacle. For example, by setting the extinguisher in an opening, the flange 14 serves to support properly the receptacle 10.

The receptacle 11 is of greater height than the receptacle 10 and the upper end thereof projects above the open end ofthe receptacle 10. The receptacle 11 defines a reservoir for a fluid, and as illustrated in FIGURE 1, the fluid is indicated 15. To minimize the chances of the fluid splashing out of the receptacle 11, the inner surface of the receptacle adjacent the open end is threaded at 17 to receive complemental threads 16 on a ring member 18. The upper edge of the ring member is provided with an annular inturned flange 19 and the flange Will trap fluid splashing toward the open end due to the movement of the vehicle.

The float 13 is preferably an air float and the upper surface is part circular in outline although the perimeter of the float body will be dependent upon the configuration of the receptacle 11. The lower surface of the float is planar as shown at 20 and an annular rim 21 is located adjacent the lower planar surface. The upper surface of the float is rounded as at 22 and the weight of the float is such that the perimetric or outer edge thereof is slightly under the level of the fluid in the receptacle to provide a pool 23 as clearly shown in FIGURE 1. It can be seen that of the amount of fluid in the inner receptacle, this pool will be present.

The float 13 may be made of any material that will float, such as plastics, and it is essential that the float not take up any of the fluid since by so doing the increased weight of the float would not provide the pool 23 of the proper depth. Consequently, cork, wood or other materials subject to becoming water logged would not serve to achieve the desired ends, unless such materials have been coated or otherwise treated to render them waterproof.

The outer receptacle 10 may be attached to the body of the vehicle in numerous ways, such as by suction cups and the most strategic location for the extinguisher would be on the instrument panel to the right of the steering wheel. Obviously, the extinguisher may be mounted at other 10- cations within the vehicle. Also, the ring member 18 can be attached to the upper end of the receptacle 11 by means other than complemental screw threads and this member could be slipped over the upper edge and retained thereon by friction.

While the manner of use of the extinguisher is deemed apparent from the foregoing description, it might be briefly summarized as follows:

If the cigarette is held between the fingers and released long enough for the lighted end to strike or hit the rounded surface of the float adjacent the rim 21 thereof, it will be immersed in the pool 23 and can be discarded with the assurance that the burning and has been extinguished. Due to the weight of the float body, the pool 23 is not sufficiently deep to wet the cigarette any substantial amount above the burning end, and, as a consequence, there is little danger of the cigarette falling apart. In view of the rounded upper surface of the float body, any ashes which may be deposited thereon will ultimately amassa fall or find their Way to the bottom of the receptacle 11 and thus prevent the accumulated weight of the ashes from causing the float body to assume a lower position in the fluid and thereby deepen the pool 23.

While the extinguisher is primarly for use in motor vehicles, it is, of course, to be understood that it can be used in other environments with equal facility.

The invention is not to be confined to any strict conformity with the showing in the drawing, but may be changed or modified so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A cigarette extinguisher comprising a receptacle containing a fluid body and having an open upper end, a float within the receptacle, said float being of a material impervious to fluid action so that the Weight of the float remains constant, the float having a planar lower surface and a rounded upper surface joining the lower surface at the perimetric edge thereof with an air chamber between said surfaces, the weight of the float causing the perimetric edge thereof to be slightly immersed in the fluid body to provide a liquid pool above the perimetric edge and on the upper rounded surface of the float so that when a lighted cigarette is dropped onto the upper surface, the 25 cigarette may be guided by such surface into the liquid pool to extinguish the same, and a horizontal annular flange secured to and extending inwardly from the open end of the receptacle spaced a substantial distance above the rounded upper surface of the float defining an entrance opening for the receptacle and also serving as a baflle to minimize spilling of the fluid from the receptacle.

2. An extinguisher as defined in claim 1 wherein the receptacle is removably supported in an outer container and means is provided on the outer container to secure the extinguisher to a supporting surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 4,062 Hunt May 29, 1845 334,914 Ward Jan. 26, 1886 453,687 Adair June 9, 1891 454,874 Lewis June 30, 1891 581,497 Thomas Apr. 27, 1897 897,148 Ramirez Aug. 25, 1908 1,941,844 Larkin Jan. 2, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS 235,365 Great Britain June 18, 1925 276,758 Great Britain Sept. 8, 1927 564,678

Great Britain Oct. 9, 1944 

1. A CIGARETTE EXTINGUISHER COMPRISING A RECEPTACLE CONTAINING A FLUID BODY AND HAVING AN OPEN UPPER END, A FLOAT WITHIN THE RECEPTACLE, SAID FLOAT BEING OF A MATERIAL IMPERVIOUS TO FLUID ACTION SO THAT THE WEIGHT OF THE FLOAT REMAINS CONSTANT, THE FLOAT HAVING A PLANAR LOWER SURFACE AND A ROUNDED UPPER SURFACE JOINING THE LOWER SURFACE AT THE PERIMETRIC EDGE THEREOF WITH AN AIR CHAMBER BETWEEN SAID SURFACES, THE WEIGHT OF THE FLOAT CAUSING THE PERIMETRIC EDGE THEREOF TO BE SLIGHTLY IMMERSED IN THE FLUID BODY TO PROVIDE A LIQUID POOL ABOVE THE PERIMETRIC EDGE AND ON THE UPPER ROUNDED SURFACE OF THE FLOAT SO THAT WHEN A LIGHTED CIGARETTE IS DROPPED ONTO THE UPPER SURFACE, THE CIGARETTE MAY BE GUIDED BY SUCH SURFACE INTO THE LIQUID POOL TO EXTINGUISH THE SAME, AND A HORIZONTAL ANNULAR FLANGE SECURED TO AND EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM THE OPEN END OF THE RECEPTACLE SPACED A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE ABOVE THE ROUNDED UPPER SURFACE OF THE FLOAT DEFINING AN ENTRANCE OPENING FOR THE RECEPTACLE AND ALSO SERVING AS A BAFFLE TO MINIMIZE SPILLING OF THE FLUID FROM THE RECEPTACLE. 